ALMOST £2 million has been spent by Dumfries and Galloway’s health board on taxi services in the past six years.
That includes a bill so far this year of £327,000.
Last year’s final taxi total was £457,000 and it was £393,000 for 2021-22.
The costs were obtained by Scottish Labour through a freedom of information request and show the regional total since 2018 is sitting at £1.84 million.
Commenting, South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said: “With our region’s NHS under severe pressure thanks to savage cuts, eyebrows will rightly be raised over the amount of money being spent on taxi services.
“While taxi journeys will be necessary in some circumstances, and patient safety should always be paramount, we cannot allow the costly use of private transportation to paper over the cracks of under-investment and mismanagement.
“NHS services are under increasing strain and the failure of the Scottish Government to address the workforce challenges, especially in rural areas, means that the cost of transporting patients will keep increasing.”
